Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa April 2015 | Page 45

IMPROVING

Link between

Colour

& Office Design

Improving productivity
in the workplace
BY JENNY SEDDON

W

hen designing a workplace, certain colour
issues need to be considered. Colour must
be used to create visual interest in the office,
to denote different working zones and to create spaces
that feel like a mini oasis, that staff enjoy coming to.
Investing in improving office spaces enhances
employee productivity, which creates more money for
the tenant and thus better returns on investment for
the landlord.
Offices where colour and creativity are only used in
client facing areas leave the staff areas to be designed
with basic paint and carpets, which sends an even
stronger message that employees are working in a
factory-like environment and are a replaceable cog.
Research shows that employees are most motivated
and productive when they work in a space that sends
the message that their employer sincerely cares about
them and their wellbeing (Towers Watson- Global
Workforce Study, 2007).
According to European workplace research
consultancy, Leesman’s, quarterly review from
December 2014, only 41% of staff are satisfied with
the general décor in their offices. An even lower 23%
are satisfied with the amount of plants or greenery in
the office. Not only does this lack of greenery lead to
unhappy employees but also they are more likely to be
more stressed and less creative.
Exposure to natural elements can contribute to
recovery from cognitive work (Berto, 2005). German
researchers have also found that when people glanced
at the colour green for two seconds before doing a
creative task, it boosted their creative output compared
to briefly looking at other colours, including white,
grey, red and blue (Lichtenfeld, 2012).
www.reimag.co.za

Shades of green closest to those found in nature
enhance creativity. For corporates who are not up for
the maintenance of office plants, greens can be brought
in through the design. Green is a good colour choice
for think tanks at the office and quiet rooms. We have
actually used floor to ceiling astro-turf in a few of our
designs to bring the outside in.

“Investing in improving
office spaces enhances
employee productivity.”
The use of white boards, chalkboards and pin boards
are increasingly common to provide space for staff
members to have an outlet for expressing their ideas.
A great by-product of this is that the office naturally
becomes filled with more visual interest.
At the end of the day your office design must be
determined by many different factors. Colour is one of
those factors and must not be neglected in both the
planning and execution phase of your design. After
all, it cannot only lead to happier staff and increased
staff retention but it can also help you to recruit top
talent. Research shows that 82% of people will let the
prospect of working in a beautifully designed space
effect their decision to take a job (Design for Living
Survey 2007).

RESOURCES
Paragon Interiors
April 2015 SA Real Estate Investor

43